Brake mechanism for miniature toy vehicles

ABSTRACT

A brake mechanism toy for use with powered or unpowered miniature toy vehicles that travel along a track or roadway whereby a braking or decelerating action is externally applied to these vehicles. The mechanism includes a controlled braking portion which causes the engagement of selected ones of these vehicles between itself and one side wall of the roadway. The extent of the engagement and therefore the degree of deceleration action provided is controlled by the user. In conjunction with the braking mechanism, or used separately, a starting mechanism may be provided which includes a starting post which movably extends above the roadway surface to raise the rear end of the toy vehicle until it is desired that the vehicle accelerate along the roadway.

United States Patent Soulakis et al.

[54] BRAKE MECHANISM FOR MINIATURE TOY VEHICLES George SOllllltlI, Los Angeles; William A. State, Torrance, both of Calif.

Mattel, Inc., Hawthorne, Calif.

Oct. 30, 1969 Inventors:

Assignee:

Filed:

Appl. No.:

Int. Cl ..B6lk 7/08 Field olSearch 1 88/32, 33, 35, 36, 62, 63;

[56] Reierences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1932 Howard ..i88/62 6/1962 Richardson... .....l88/62 X 4/l969 Garbers et al ..'..l88/l 80 X U.S. Cl. ABS/62, [88/32 A brake mechanism toy for use with powered or unpowered 1451 May 2, 1972 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS s7 1 ,416 6/1961 Great Britain 1 88/62 638,588 6/1950 Great 51116111.. ....l88/62 8l0,i24. 9/1959 Great Britain..... ..l88/62 Primary Examiner-DuaneA. Regcr Attorney-Seymour A. Scholnick ABSTRACT miniature toy vehicles that travel along a track or roadway whereby a braking or decelerating action is externally applied to these vehicles; The mechanism includes a controlled braking portion which causes the engagement of selected ones of these vehicles between itself and one side wall of the roadway. The extent of the engagement and therefore the degree of deceleration action provided is controlled by the user.

' in conjunction with the braking mechanism, or used separately, a starting mechanism may be provided which includes a starting post which movably extends above the roadway surface to raise the rear end of the toy vehicle until it is desired that the vehicle accelerate along the roadway.

11 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEUM Y 2 m2 3,659,680

l {H 121 (119 fi 6 INVENTORS GEORGE SOULAKIS WILL/AM A. 6

ATTOBNE' Y MY 2 I973 SHEET 2 OF 3 M/VEJVmES GEORGE SOUL/HUS WI LIAM/I ll.

PKTENTEIJ 2'97? 3,659,680

sum 30F s H1 163' 1 M7 169 lawn/102s J73 M0265 SOulflk/S MOM/EV WI LIA ATS BRAKE MECHANISM FOR MINIATURE TOY VEHICLES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 7 The background of the invention is set forth in two parts.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention pertains to the field of toy vehicles and more particularly to devices used in conjunction with powered and unpowered toy vehicles and the tracks or roadways upon which they travel to enhance the toys operation and saleability and to provide a degree of user controllability and skill.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART The use of powered and unpowered toy vehicles on tracks or roadways is now well known in the toy industry. The unpowered toys generally utilize gravitational forces to provide the necessary acceleration by elevating a portion of the track. Also, acceleration boosters have been introduced which externally provide additional acceleration to these toys as they proceed along the roadway. In order to prevent the toy vehicles from leaving the track when an abrupt change in direction was encountered, the track was banked in a manner similar to that found in modern full-sized automobile race tracks. This expedient was also utilized for self-powered toy vehicles which have no speed control. Such toys either are turned off or they are turned on to provide as much speed as they are capable of attaining. However, not in all cases will a banked track be available to prevent these toys from exceeding a certain speed in excess of which the vehicle will not be able to negotiate a change in direction and thus leave the track.

Instances where banking is not feasable in conjunction with tracks and roadways for toy vehicles are many. A few are: (l) where the track has a dual or S curve portion, (2) where there is provided a single or dual chicane section, and (3) where a curve is desired in an area of restricted vertical clearance such as in a tunnel or under a trestle. Also highly desirable would be a means for controlling the amount of deceleration provided to these toys so that a degree of skill could be developed by the operator to maintain the highest average speed attainable for the conditions presented. Accordingly, a braking mechanism that could be controlled to cause a desired degree of deceleration to selected toy vehicles traveling along a roadway would constitute a significant advancement of the art.

Another problem area of the miniature toy vehicle art is the starting mechanism. In the past, movable barriers either projecting through apertures in the track surface or suspended from above the track and directly in front of the toys were used. Also, starting gates have been provided which raise the front free-wheeling wheels of the vehicles until a start button or lever is moved. These techniques were useable for unpowered toys but are not suitable in the case of self-powered toy vehicles which must be tumed-on prior to activating the starting gate mechanism. It can be seen that excessive current would be drawn and battery deterioration subsequently follow if the vehicle motor is electrically activated while the mechanically coupled drive wheels are not allowed to turn, as would be the case with the aforementioned starting arrangements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing factors and conditions characteristic of powered and unpowered vehicle toys, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved toy that significantly advances the toy vehicle art by allowing the operator to decelerate selected vehicles by a predetermined amount.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a relatively simple brake mechanism for miniature toy vehicles that is extemally controlled.

It is also another object of the invention to provide an economical-to-fabricate brake mechanism for miniature toy vehicles that does not introduce unbalancing forces to the vehicle passing therethrough.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a brake mechanism for miniature toy vehicles that is insertable in existing miniature toy vehicle tracks.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a brake mechanism for miniature toy vehicles which encourages the development of skill by its users in order to control the speed of the vehicles so that abrupt changes in track direction can be accommodated without the banking of the track.

It 'is a further object of the invention to provide a brake mechanism for miniature toy vehicles which may be closely associated with a starting gate mechanism that does not put a heavy load on self-contained batteries in the vehicles.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved starting gate mechanism for self-powered miniature toy vehicles. I

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a starting mechanism useable in conjunction with a brake mechanism and which raises the driven wheels of self-powered toy vehicles until the mechanism is activated.

According to the present invention, a brake mechanism for miniature toy vehicles includes a section of roadway upon which the toy vehicles travel, the roadway having vehicle restraining side walls along the longitudinal sides thereof. Also included, is a braking means operatively coupled to the section of roadway for engaging, between one of the side walls and the braking means selected ones of the toy vehicles and apply thereto a predetennined decelerating force.

The braking means may'take the form of a pivoted lever or arm that is swung into the path of the toys by a pneumatic actuated piston arrangement which has a resilient feature to return the pivoted member to an out-of-contact position.

A starting arrangement may also be incorporated which includes a starting post that protrudes through an aperture in the track surface to raise the driven wheels of self-powered toy vehicles until a start button or lever is manually operated. The starting post may register with the under portion of the vehicle for accurate positioning and alignment of the vehicle on the roadway or track.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention and specific embodiments thereof will be described hereinafter by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements or parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combination braking and starting mechanism constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross section elevational view of the braking mechanism s reaction bellows taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view showing the starting mechanism of the device of FIG. 1, taken along line 4-4;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the starting post portion of the starting mechanism shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative starter portion of a dual track braking-starting mechanism;

FIG. 7 illustrates a unitary molded portion of the startingresetting mechanism of the starter of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a cross section, side elevational view of the starter of FIG. 6 taken along the line 8-8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring again to the drawings and more particularly to the combination braking-starting mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, there is shown a dual track arrangement 11 including basically identical brake and starter mechanisms 13. Each of such mechanisms comprises a longitudinal track surface 15 and longitudinal side walls 17. The center side wall 17A is, in this case, shared. The track surfaces 15 may be attached to or integrally molded with a track base'member 19. As with the track surfaces, side plates 21, adjacent the track surfaces, may be molded as a single structure with the base 19 and may be in the same plane as the track surfaces 15.

Although a dual arrangement is shown in the drawings, it should be understood that a single arrangement may advantageously be provided using the same principles as described for the multiple track set up. Accordingly, reference hereinafter will be made only to one of the two identical brake and starter mechanisms illustrated. 1

The braking mechanism of the invention includes a braking arm 23 positioned in a break in the side wall 17 and which may be fabricated from a single piece of material having a uniform cross section, or, it may be as shown consisting of a relatively thick first length 25 and an attached relatively thin second length 27. Unless otherwise indicated, the various portions and elements of the described device may be fabricated from conventional synthetic materials generally designated plastics and any suitable one of many conventional processes such as injection molding can be utilized.

' The braking arm 23 is pivoted about a pin 29 passing through a tab 31 which is located adjacent one of its ends 33 of reduced height so that the arm 23 may swing, as indicated by arrow 35, into the path of a miniature toy vehicle (dashed outline 37) travelling along the track surface in the direction shown by arrow 39. The arm 23 is prevented from swinging in the other direction (arrow 41) beyond the plane of the side wall 17 by a stop block 43 mounted 'on an end portion 45 of the plate 21. The pin 29 is anchored by an aperture (not shown) in the side plate 21 and by an aperture 47 in a horizontal plate 49 spaced from the plate 21. The plate 49 is conventionally attached to or formed as part of an upright portion 51 of an L-shaped bellows support bracket 53 having a foot portion 55 attached to the side plat 21.

Attached to the arm 23, for, at least a portion of its length, is a stiffening structure 57 including a horizontal top plate 59, a vertical wall 61, and a support block 63. The structure 57 slides over the surface of side plate 21 asthe braking arm 23 pivots about the pin 29 and helps maintain a perpendicular relationship between the arm 23 and the track surface 15.

As can be seen in the figures, to the bellows support bracket 53 is attached one end of an accordian-type reaction or actuator bellows 65, the other end of which is attached to a transverse bracket 67 mounted on the braking arm 23. The bellows may be of any suitable material such as plastic and may be formed in what is commonly called a blow-molding technique. An aperture 69 in the upright portion 51 of the bracket 53 is provided to allow a hollow stem 71 of the bellows 65 to protrude so that communication can be made between the actuator bellows 65 and a control bellows 73 by means of a flexible plastic tube 75. In order to provide a simple means for holding the actuator bellows 65 between the end brackets, an aperture 77 is made in the transverse bracket 67 for holding a pin 79 which extends from and formed as part of the bellows 65.

The control bellows 73 may take any desired form such as, for example, the one illustrated in FIG. 1. Here, a thumb loop 81 is provided at one end and a T-shaped bar arrangement 83 at the other. This allows positive gripping and movement of the loop 81 in relation to the bar 83 to either compress or extend the bellows 73. Both the control bellows 73 and the actuator bellows 65 have a residual tendency to expand or contract to their original molded configuration. However, in order to aid in the return of the actuator bellows to its pre-actuated position, where it must pull the attached braking arm structure in so doing, an axial extending tab 85 is attached to the upright portion 51 of the bracket 53 in a position adjacent and parallel to the periphery of the actuator bellows 65 in its unactuated condition.

In operation, the track arrangement 11 is connected to or placed in series with suitable track or roadway sections 87 by means of track connection tabs 89. A more detailed description of such track sections and connection tabs, may be found in a copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 779,874, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Miniature toy vehicles 37 travelling along the roadway sections 87 will pass unimpeded through the arrangement 11 when the latter is in its inactivated condition as seen in FIG. 1 and in the mechanism 13A of FIG. 2. However, when an operator squeezes the control bellows 73 by pulling the bar 83 toward the loop 81, air is forced to flow through the tube 75 into the actuator bellows 65 and causes it to expand or elongate. This reaction of the actuator bellows places a force on the bracket 67 which in turn causes the braking arm 23 to pivot about the pin 29 and swing into the roadway and come into contact with one side of the vehicle 37, the other side of which is in turn forced against the side wall 17A as shown in the mechanism 138 of FIG. 2.

If only a slight force is provided at the control bellows, then only a slight decelerating force will occur in the braking arm 23 and the toy vehicle will only be slightly decelerated. Accordingl), the greater amount the control bellows 73 is compressed, the greater will be the decelerating force on a passing toy. In fact, the vehicle 37 may be forced to come to a complete stop by an appropriate control force.

The amount of deceleration for a given compression of the control bellows 73 depends on such factors as the mass of the vehicle 37, its velocity at the time it comes into contact with the braking arm 23 and the side wall 17A, the position of the vehicle 37 when itfirst contacts the braking mechanism,

whether or not it is self-powered, and flexibility or stiffness of the braking arm. As indicated previously, the arm 23 may comprise a single member of uniform cross section or it may comprise a length of relatively large cross sectional area and an attached length of relatively small cross sectional area in order to provide a large degree of braking control. Of course, a single arm having a decreasing cross section may be substituted for the last described member to obtain the same effect.

This very important feature of the invention may also be stated in other words. The relationship of the controlbellows lever arm to the point where the braking arm contacts the toy determines the decelerating force imparted to the toy. As the vehicle travels through the braking section, the braking force is reduced in direct proportion to the ratio of the bellows lever arm to the contact point of the toy vehicle with the braking arm. This, when coupled to the physical configuration of the braking arm (rigid, semi-rigid, flexible, etc., can be such to allow for constant deceleration (rigid) or high initial deceleration with subsequent constant deceleration (rigid and flexible portions).

Upon expanding the control bellows 73, the actuator bellows 65 will contract to cause the arm 23 to return toward its residual position in line with the side wall 17. This movement is aided by the tab forcing the bellows 65 to align itself, along with the mechanically coupled braking arm 23, parallel to the side wall 17. I

It should be understood from the above description of the operation of the braking mechanism that the starter mechanism is not obstructing the roadways. The starter mechanisms as seen in FIGS. 1-5 comprise starting posts 111 projecting upward from a hinged plate 113 and through a' conforming aperture 115 in the track surface 15. The upper portion of the post 1 11 may have a slightly sloping surface 117 in order to have only a single line contact with the under portion of the vehicle 37. Where the vehicle is unpowered, the mechanism 11 and its adjoining track sections 87 may be elevated and slightly tilted in the direction of the arrow 39 in order to provide the necessary acceleration forces.

On the other hand, where the vehicle 37 is self-powered the braking-starting mechanism 11 need not be elevated. In the latter case, the drive wheels of the vehicle will be suspended out of contact with the roadway surface while the posts 1 11 are in their protruding position as seen in FIG. 1, so as not to load the toys electrical system. This is important because the batteries carried by the toy vehicles are necessarily small and are very limited in charge capacity and accordingly cannot survive a heavy current drain for an extended period of time, as would be the case where the drive wheels were not allowed to freely rotate.

The post 111 projects from one end of the plate 113 and moves with that portion of the plate on the same side of a hinge 119. The portion of the plate 113 on the other side of the hinge 119 is attached by any conventional means such as a depending conventional snap lock 121 having a relatively small diameter shank portion 123 passing through a conforming aperture 125 in the plate 113 and having a relatively large head portion 127. Thus for attachment, the two halves of the split holding member are deformed toward each other by forcing them through the aperture 125. Once through, the member expands and the head portion 127 holds the plate 13 to the underside of the roadway surface 15. The hinge 119 is shown to be what is commonly known as an integral or living hinge, however, any other type hinge or flexible joint arrangement such as a shaft mounted on trunion bearings may be substituted.

The positioning of the starting posts 111 is determined by start levers 129 (passing through suitable apertures 131) attached or molded as part of the plate 113 adjacent the posts 111. In the dual track arrangement, the plate 113 is common for both posts 1 1 1 and the depression of either start lever 129 will simultaneously depress both starting posts. For positive action any suitable detent arrangement may be used. For example, the posts 111 may be so positioned in or dimensioned with respect to their respective apertures 115 that when pulled up by an upward force on either lever 129 they will not fall because of friction between the outer-side surfaces of the posts 111 against the inner-side surface or surfaces of the aperture 115. As an alternative technique, a deformable lip portion may extend from an inner surface of the frame member 19, adjacent an aperture 115, just below the bottom surface of the plate 1 13 when it is in a horizontal position.

A downward force on either start lever 129 will overcome the above-described positive action arrangements and the posts 111 will drop flush with or below the surface 15 to allow the toy to either roll forward or be accelerated by its drive wheels which now are in contact with the track surface 15. In this condition, the posts cause no obstruction to passing toy vehicles. In order to overcome any tendency for the posts 111 to again protrude through the aperture 115 before the lever 129 is pulled upward, a lip portion 133 on the inner wall of the frame 19 adjacent the posts is provided to engage the sloping surface 117, as clearly seen in FIG. 5.

Another starting mechanism embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 6-8. Here, a unitary molded base 151 is shown to have a pair of track surfaces 153 separated by a center wall 155 and relatively thick side walls 157 in each of which a pair of spaced apertures 159 are provided. Below the track surfaces 153 is mounted a lever plate 161 having a broad base portion 163 and two elongated sections 165. The plate 161 is held to the underside of the base 151 by means of a pair of depending snap locks 167 passing through associated apertures 169 in a small plate 171 that is connected to the lever plate 161 by an integral hinge 173.

The lever plate 161 carries a pair of starting posts or rest pads 175 adapted to pass through associated apertures 177 in the track surfaces 153 and also a pair of start buttons 179 adjacent the pads 175 and a pair of reset buttons 181 near the end of the elongated sections 165. The buttons are so positioned to protrude through the apertures 159 to an extent depending upon which button had been depressed last, the start or the reset. This is because the hinge 173 is disposed between the start and the reset buttons.

The starting mechanism is readied for use by depressing either one of the reset buttons 181, which allows the rest pads to extend above the track surfaces 153. Toy vehicles are then located on the pads 175 such that the powered wheels are allowed to rotate freely, thus minimizing the current drain on the self-contained batteries. Either start button 179 is then depressed which lowers the'pads 175 flush with the track surfaces 153. At this time, the powered wheels of the toys contact the track surface to allow the vehicles to accelerate along the track. As in the previously described embodiment, the lever plate 161 is detented with the base 151 in both the "reset and the "start positions for positive action. The starter as well as the brake mechanisms may be constructed for single or multiple lane layouts with control at either side. In all starting mechanism embodiments, the shape of the upper portion of the starting posts or pads may conform to the underside configuration of the toy vehicles so that registration between these two portions will provide accurate vehicle alignment with respect to the track or roadway.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the invention provides a new and entertaining accessory for miniature toy vehicles, both powered and unpowered, and allows the users to develop their skill in maintaining the highest vehicle speed while keeping the toys in a stable condition so as not to leave the track. The starting mechanism is advantageously positioned adjacent the brake mechanism but it should be understood that either mechanism may be provided as a separate assembly. Also, it should be clear that the materials used in the manufacture of this toy are not critical and any material suitable for a particular use may be utilized.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, other organizations of the embodiments shown may be made with'the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the actuator bellows may be replaced by other similar functioning actuating means, either mechanical e.g., flexible cable or springs, or electrical e.g., electric motor or solenoid.

Accordingly, it is intended that the foregoing disclosure and drawings shall be considered only as illustrations of the principles of this invention and are not to be construed in a limiting sense. The scope of this invention is to be defined by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is: 1. A brake mechanism for miniature toy vehicles having a body portion and wheels rotatably mounted thereon, comprismg: I

a section of flat roadway upon which said toy vehicles travel, said section of roadway having vehicle restraining side walls along the longitudinal sides thereof spaced from each other by a distance greater than the width of said toy vehicles; and

braking means operatively coupled to said section of roadway for engaging between one of said side walls and said braking means said body portion of selected ones of said toy vehicles thereby applying thereto a decelerating force.

2. A brake mechanism for miniature toy vehicles, comprismg:

a section of roadway upon which said toy vehicles travel, said section of roadway having first and second vehicle restraining side walls along the longitudinal sides thereof; and

braking means including a braking arm pivoted at one end to allow rotation of said arm from a residual position in the path of said toy vehicles for engaging between said second side wall and said arm selected ones of said toy vehicles thereby applying thereto a decelerating force.

3. A brake mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said braking arm has a constant cross section.

4. A brake mechanism according to claim 3, wherein said braking arm is flexible.

5. A brake mechanism according to claim 3, wherein said braking arm is rigid. v

6. A brake mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said braking arm has a variable cross section, said arm being pivoted adjacent the end thereof having the larger cross sectron.

7. A brake mechanism according to claim 6, wherein said variable cross section comprises a relatively rigid length of material having a relatively large cross section serially attached to a relatively flexible length of material having a relatively small cross section.

8. A brake mechanism according to claim 2 wherein said braking means also includes a remote control device and an actuator operatively coupled to said braking arm, said actuator being coupled and responsive to said control device, the degree of operation of said control device determining the amount of decelerating force imposed on said selected ones of said toy vehicles.

v returning said braking arm to said residual position when said control device is released.

11. A brake mechanism according to claim 2, wherein two sections of said roadway are disposed adjacent each other sharing said second side wall therebetween, independent ones of said braking means with associated braking arms residually positioned parallel to respective first side walls. 

1. A brake mechanism for miniature toy vehicles having a body portion and wheels rotatably mounted thereon, comprising: a section of flat roadway upon which said toy vehicles travel, said section of roadway having vehicle restraining side walls along the longitudinal sides thereof spaced from each other by a distance greater than the width of said toy vehicles; and braking means operatively coupled to said section of roadway for engaging between one of said side walls and said braking means said body portion of selected ones of said toy vehicles thereby applying thereto a decelerating force.
 2. A brake mechanism for miniature toy vehicles, comprising: a section of roadway upon which said toy vehicles travel, said section of roadway having first and second vehicle restraining side walls along the longitudinal sides thereof; and braking means including a braking arm pivoted at one end to allow rotation of said arm from a residual position in the path of said toy vehicles for engaging between said second side wall and said arm selected ones of said toy vehicles thereby applying thereto a decelerating force.
 3. A brake mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said braking arm has a constant cross section.
 4. A brake mechanism according to claim 3, wherein said braking arm is flexible.
 5. A brake mechanism according to claim 3, wherein said braking arm is rigid.
 6. A brake mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said braking arm has a variable cross section, said arm being pivoted adjacent the end thereof having the larger cross section.
 7. A brake mechanism according to claim 6, wherein said variable cross section comprises a relatively rigid length of material having a relatively large cross section serially attached to a relatively flexible length of material having a relatively small cross section.
 8. A brake mechanism according to claim 2 wherein said braking means also includes a remote control device and an actuator operatively coupled to said braking arm, said actuator being coupled and responsive to said control device, the degree of operation of said control device determining the amount of decelerating force imposed on said selected ones of said toy vehicles.
 9. A brake mechanism according to claim 8, wherein said control device and said actuator are miniature accordian-type bellows pneumatically coupled together by a flexible tube.
 10. A brake mechanism according to claim 9, wherein a return bias means is operatively coupled to said actuator for returning said braking arm to said residual position when said control device is released.
 11. A brake mechanism according to claim 2, wherein two sections of said roadway are disposed adjacent each other sharing said second side wall therebetween, independent ones of said braking means with associated braking arms residually positioned parallel to respective first side walls. 